OVERWEIGHT DOGS ARE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE SHORTER LIVES
Full story: The University of Liverpool and Mars Petcare’s WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition released new research that overweight dogs are most going to die faster than dogs with ideal weight.
This study has been going on for the past 20 years and was published in the Veterinary Internal Medicine Journal stating that dogs with overweight bodies are subject to a lifespan that is 2.5 years shorter than dogs with ideal weight.
To come to this conclusion, the researchers took examined over 50 thousand dogs from 12 different breeds. Every one of these breeds had the effect of overweight even though it varied regarding the magnitude of the impact. For instance, it is lesser than five months for Male German shepherds while 2.6 months or less for Male Yorkshire Terriers.
The Low Quality of Life.
About 26% of households in the UK own a dog while in the U.S., about 47.6% own a dog. Despite this, not many of these households understand the adverse effect of an overweight dog. The rate at which pets are becoming obese is quite alarming as it is said that one in every three cats of dogs is overweight.
While this study’s focus was not on the reasons for the extra weight, it is said that the feeding routine of these dogs has a significant role to play in making them obese. As according to the survey by Better Cities for Pet Survey, 54% of dog and cat owners give these pets whatever they ask for while 22% of these owners give their pets more food to make them happy.
While these owners may have good intentions, most of them are not aware of the complications their intentions can cause. They are ignorant of the fact that having too much weight can cause issues like difficulty in breathing, joint issues, cancer, and poor life quality. All these have impacts on the longevity of these pet’s life.
Owners should be careful of what they give to their pets as food. They should reduce the unnecessary affection of giving them left over and take time out to know how best to go about feeding their dogs as it would determine how long they would live. Just about one pet owner in 5 takes time out to measure the food they give their dogs while 4 in 5 of these owners estimate what they think their pets should eat per serving.
Healthy ways to Manage Weight in Pets
To live a healthy life, you must always remember that prevention is a better alternative to cure. This implies that rather than wait for a time when you would be going around for a cure to any challenge your dog will face, why not prevent it now when you can. To prevent the adverse effect of obesity, you have to discover it early enough. Here are some things to do to ensure your pet is perfectly weighed
